Alien Son

A series of fictionalised autobiographical sketches of childhood by Judah Waten, was first published in 1952 and has been reprinted frequently. The narrator's parents, Russian Jews, settle in a small WA town just before the First World War. The new land appears incomprehensible and alien, especially to the mother, who clings resolutely to the old culture; for the more sanguine father, 'business' projects prove disappointing and he resorts to hawking bottles from a horse-drawn cart. He soon realises, however, that they 'belong to this new earth. It has sucked us in whether we know it or not', and for his son Australia offers exciting new experiences. As the narratives chronologically develop the story of the family's adjustment, a vivid general picture of immigrant life in Australia emerges. Striking individuals include Hirsch, a lonely old hawker who dreams of settling in Palestine; Mrs Hankin, a formidable Jewish mother in search of a suitable husband for her daughter; Mr Smutkevitch, a severe Jewish father who nevertheless loses his sons to the new culture; Lily Samuels, an Aboriginal girl; and Mr Finnan, a militant waterside worker, who becomes a hero to the young narrator. Most memorable of all is the portrait of the strong-willed mother, immersed in 'passionate dreams of the past'. Resigned to her husband's lack of success in this land in which she will always be an alien, she nevertheless fanatically pursues her goal of a good education for her children.

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